A Week 13 whip around the Palmetto State

Photo by Joe L. Hughes II

Rushing for more than 200 yards in his team's Class AAAA Division I second round match-up with Fort Dorchester, junior running back Raymond Smith was a big reason Dorman's offense was able to kick things into high gear last Friday night.

It’s all depends on who you ask.
According to Gaffney fans, it was bad officiating and missed opportunities. In the eyes of those backing Irmo, it was the product of a good defensive effort.
No matter the combination of those ingredients, the Yellow Jackets were happy it fell in their favor, escaping W.C. Hawkins Stadium Friday night with a 12-7 victory.
Irmo’s Kevin Baxter returned an interception in the end zone off of Indians’quarterback DeEdward Burris 70 yards the first play of the fourth quarter, setting up the game’s deciding score, a 2-yard run by Dawan Scott.
The Yellow Jacket running back would wind up with 167 yards and two touchdowns on the night. With the win, his team advances to the Class AAAA Division I semifinals against defending state champion Dorman.
“Our kids made plays when they had to,” said Irmo head coach Bob Hanna to The State (S.C.). “We gave up some yards, but when it came time to play, we found a way to get it done.”
The Indians seemingly moved the ball at will against their Midlands contemporaries, spending much of the night inside Yellow Jackets territory. However, with the exception of a DeEdward Burris connection with wide receiver Quinshad Davis in the first quarter, that is where Gaffney drives would die, the result of mental errors in the form of three turnovers, several penalties and a number of dropped passes.
“When you come on somebody else’s home field and they are 10-2, you have to play better than them. We just didn’t make the big plays when we needed them,” said Gaffney head coach Dan Jones.
“We made some mistakes, dropped some passes, made some bad decisions. We just didn’t execute,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dorman put on arguably its most impressive performance of the season, disposing of Fort Dorchester 49-28. Raymond Smith ran for 241 yards and three touchdowns, including a 94-yard romp in the game’s final stanza.
Not to be outdone, Clemson commitment Charone Peake also had a big night, hit pay dirt three times in the contest, twice on throws from Cavaliers quarterback Nelson Hughes and another by way of a punt return.

A Sleeping Giant Awakens
Class AAAA powerhouse Byrnes may be down a bit this year … but they are definitely not out.
Junior running back Shakeem Wharton was quite the dual threat for the Rebels, racking up 170 total yards and three touchdowns in the team’s 31-14 Class AAAA Division I playoff win at Dutch Fork.
The performance was quite the statement for Byrnes, perceived as a bit vulnerable after a squad laden with stars was decimated by graduation. Yet it stands 48 minutes from another appearance in the state title game.
In the Lowcountry however, a thorough beating was being given to one of the state’s most recognizable figures in high school football. Summerville’s John McKissick, the nation’s all-time leader in coaching wins at the high school level, could only describe it as the worst beating any team has given his Green Wave on the field named after him.
Lexington delivered a whipping Summerville fans are sure to remember for some time, dismantling the traditional power from the Lowcountry 45-14.
Wildcats’ running back K.J. Miller toted the pigskin 31 times for 230 yards and three touchdowns, while his teammates on defense held Summerville star to a total of 152 yards and a meaningless touchdown late in a contest seemingly never in doubt.
In the “Lower 32” tournament better known to most as Class AAAA Division II, things went as expected with each of the top four seeds advanced, setting up a (4) Northwestern - (1) Goose Creek and (3) North Augusta- (2) Greenwood state semifinal round.
North Augusta was the only one of the four to struggle on the night, erasing an early deficit and surviving a late flurry from T.L. Hanna , 28-21.

"Thriller"
When they say enjoy every moment, do so; you never know when it will be taken from you.
Belton-Honea Path could not have believed the end was near after pulling ahead 28-27 with 1:18 left to go against Fairfield Central, thinking it had delivered the final salvo in the wild Class AAA Upper State semifinal contest.
The Griffins had other ideas, turning out the lights on the Bears and their undefeated 2010 campaign with a 35-28 heart-stopping win in the state’s upcountry.
Shaquille Young hauled in a pass from Fairfield Central quarterback Danny Miller with 25 seconds left to snare victory from defeat. The miraculous 34-yard grab, caught between two Belton-Honea Path defenders and also tipped twice, earned the Griffins a rematch with region rival South Pointe in the Upper State title game, the Stallions humbling Greenville 50-7.
South Pointe dealt Fairfield Central its lone defeat in 2010, winning 17-7 in Winnsboro last month.
Lower State juggernaut Myrtle Beach put an end to Berkeley’s playoff winning streak, taking care of the Stags 42-28. Seahawks quarterback Everett Golson passed for 381 yards and four touchdowns in the game, eliminating Berkeley, last year’s winners of the Class AAAA-Division II crown.
Myrtle Beach wants a Class AAA crown of its own, however, and will earn at least the right to do so with a win in the Lower State title game Friday against Bluffton, a 40-35 winner at Hartsville.

Thrice as Nice
Things seem to come in threes.
For Strom Thurmond and Timberland, the third time did not wind up being the charm, both falling to familiar opponents for the third consecutive year.
Meanwhile, Central (Pageland) and Dillon remained on a collision course to meet in the Class AA title game, the Eagles advancing past Strom Thurmond 35-30; while the Wildcats moved on with an impressive 31-14 win over previously undefeated Timberland.
Dillon again advances to the Lower State title game where it will host Manning, a 30-20 winner over region rival Lake City.
The Monarchs again did a good job in limiting Panthers’ star running back Shon Carson, who though gaining 137 yards and scored the 100th touchdown of his prep football career, Manning won the rushing battle as it was able to churn out 205 yards of its own on the ground -- 120 of which were contributed by Marcos Pearson -- wearing out an active Lake City defense.
Central faces a familiar foe for a second straight week, this time in the form of Woodruff, which earned a hard fought 37-30 victory over Columbia.
In Class A on the other hand, Scott’s Branch and Williston-Elko again earned the right to meet each other with a state title hanging in the balance.
Christ Church gave the Blue Devils all they could handle in the Class A Division I Upper State final, drawing to within six points after being down three touchdowns early on in the contest. However, Williston-Elko’s wishbone attack chewed valuable clock time and the Cavaliers’ final heave fell into the arms of an opposing defender, giving W-E the 27-21 win.
Scott’s Branch fell behind early, but it was only a minor setback between it and the program’s third consecutive date with the Blue Devils, defeating Hardeeville 36-20.
Might as well call it a grudge match, the teams splitting the last two Class A Division II championship games. The game is Friday at 3 p.m. at Benedict University Stadium in Columbia.
In Class A Division I play, a Randon Sandifer 22-yard field goal as time expired gave Bamberg-Ehrhardt a Lower State title, defeating Hemingway 17-14. It will face Abbeville for a championship Friday at noon in Columbia, the Panthers getting past Lamar 20-12 in a highly contested Upper State final.

Palmetto State Roundup
Class AAAA Division 2 Second Round
Goose Creek 49, Easley 0
Greenwood 35, South Florence 7
North Augusta 28, T.L. Hanna 21
Northwestern 49, Ashley Ridge 35

Class AAAA Division 1
Second Round
Irmo 12, Gaffney 7
James F. Byrnes 31, Dutch Fork 14
Lexington 35, Summerville 14
Dorman 49, Fort Dorchester 28

Upper State Class AAA
Third Round
Fairfield Central 35, Belton-Honea Path 28
South Pointe 50, Greenville 7

Lower State Class AAA
Third Round
Bluffton 40, Hartsville 35
Myrtle Beach 42, Berkeley 28

Upper State Class AA
Third Round
Central 35, Strom Thurmond 30
Woodruff 37, Columbia 30

Lower State Class AA
Third Round
Dillon 31, Timberland 14
Manning 30, Lake City 20
Upper State Class A Division I Semifinal
Abbeville 20, Lamar 12

Lower State Class A Division I
Semifinal
Bamberg-Ehrhardt 17, Hemingway 14

Upper State Class A Division II
Semifinal
Williston-Elko 27, Christ Church Episcopal 21

Lower State Class A Division II
Semifinal
Scott's Branch 36, Hardeeville 20